Congressman Stupak had a distinguished career representing Michigan’s First Congressional District for 18 years and equally distinguished 14-year career in Congressional baseball, as a player at various positions including pitcher, outfielder, first baseman, a coach and now as an honoree.

He was on the active roster from 1996-2010, playing as both relief pitcher and infielder and earning a share of MVP honors in 2009 for a tumbling-over-the-rail catch of a foul ball. It was as Roll Call recounted it, “the Congressman’s personal baseball career highlight”. “The catch everyone still talks about,” Stupak said, noting that the clip is on YouTube.

Stupak is still the Democrat’s infield coach, even though he left Congress in 2011. “I love it, why else would I get up at 6 AM every day for two months before the game to go over to coach the Democratic squad,” he said recently.

Stupak played baseball at Northwestern Michigan College as an outfielder but occasionally pitcher. He still plays baseball, even if it’s a very different version of the game these days. Once a year, he heads to Mackinac Island, home of the “oldest continuously played field in Michigan to play a charity baseball game. It’s called “vintage baseball” and 1860s rules: no gloves, batted balls caught on one bounce are an out and no stealing.

“I usually come back with a broken finger or two,” Stupak told Roll Call with a laugh. “It’s a slow-pitch, defensive game. And we won 4-1 last year.”

Proceeds from the Congressional Baseball annual classic will once again go to the Washington Literacy Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, and the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation.

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